About a month ago I snapped this pic of my Dad trying on his backpack being super excited and ready to embark on the longest cruise my folks have taken... 35 days with 17 of those at sea for my Mom to be able to play bridge, a bridge aficionado's delight.
Fast forward to one week ago as I returned home to a phone message from my Dad 'to call home.' First you need to know that my folks were supposedly still on their cruise but obviously now weren't...
On day 21 when they were to port in Amsterdam, my Mom awoke 'blind'. I can't even fathom how scary that must have been... much less being thousands of miles from home. Fortunately Little Rock friends who were originally meeting my folks to go touring that day could usher them straight to a Dutch hospital. There my Mom stayed for a week examined and consulted by both a opthalmologist and a neurologist. Apparently there was swelling around the optic nerve. Go figure just like that she had a 'blind' prognosis.
Mom received medication through a drip to relieve the pressure on the optic nerve and within 24 hours she felt that she had regained 'some' sight in one eye. There's white light when she looked down, and each day she says she seems to see more. Some sent by her memory. Actually some blob forms and colors in one eye. A neurologist will monitor her now that she's home.
Her positive attitude just wows me. She delights in talking about the attentive friendly nursing staff and how the Dutch hospitals functioned. How kind their friends were to travel from an hour away daily to visit... Every day she feels that she's improving. Well heck if she thinks she is seeing better - great. BUT the reality is that my folks are in their 80's and as independent as they want to be, they can't do it alone. My 87 year old Dad returned home over exhausted from lack of appetite, sleep and worry. My brother and family live in town but he can't do it all either.
It's going to take a community, that village of which Hillary wrote. From afar I have been making contacts, networking to find a support system of both professionals and friends that can help in this transition. And let me tell if you don't think Medicare and public programs are important at a time like this, think again.
You just never know when one minute you see it and then one minute you don't...
That is so scary! I admire her attitude and ability to just go with it. I guess there's really nothing much you can do. This is one of my major (maybe only) fear about life on the road. But, just like your Mom, you just need to take it one day at a time.
ReplyDeleteYikes! Well, at least they are home now and able to be in familiar territory. I'm probably at least 10 hours away, but if you need ANYTHING you let me know! I would be more than happy to help in anyway possible, even if it's just to pick up from an airport or anything. I'm only an hour from Charollette and Greensboro is an INTL airport too...
ReplyDeleteAlso- have you considered any Reiki energy to be sent? I highly recommend it, because I've seen it work myself. It's really just about sending the positivity to them via energy. :) I'll send a lil extra tonight as I pray and go to bed. <3 u!
Thanks for your words of encouragement, comfort and help. We will deal and appreciate all our blessings.
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